1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to magnetic read/write heads, and more particularly to such heads having a single element, three pole structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In magnetic recording technology it is constantly desired to improve the areal density at which information can be recorded and reliably read. This desire has lead to a trend toward greater bit density along a magnetic recording track and a shrinking track width.
For a time the problem was solved by the use of separate read and write head. However as the recording density increased, problems of cost and packaging density made this solution no longer acceptable in many applications.
Magnetic heads were then designed so that one head could be used for both reading and writing. Further increases in the recording density have made it progressively more difficult to optimize the reading and writing functions simultaneously in a single element read/write head. For example, to delay the onset of magnetic saturation in the head during writing, the pole tips should be relatively thick; however, to produce good read resolution and increase the linear recording density, the pole tips should be relatively thin.